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Obesity and Overweight
What Are Overweight and Obesity?
The terms "overweight" and "obesity" refer to body weight that's greater than what is considered healthy for a certain height.
The most useful measure of overweight and obesity is body mass index (BMI). BMI is calculated from your height and weight. For more information about BMI, go to "How Are Overweight and Obesity Diagnosed?"
Overview
Millions of Americans and people worldwide are overweight or obese. Being overweight or obese puts you at risk for many health problems. The more body fat that you have and the more you weigh, the more likely you are to develop:
- Coronary heart disease
- High blood pressure
- Type 2 diabetes
- Gallstones
- Breathing problems
- Certain cancers
Your weight is the result of many factors. These factors include environment, family history and genetics, metabolism (the way your body changes food and oxygen into energy), behavior or habits, and more.
You can't change some factors, such as family history. However, you can change other factors, such as your lifestyle habits.
For example, follow a healthy eating plan and keep your calorie needs in mind. Be physically active and try to limit the amount of time that you're inactive.
Weight-loss medicines and surgery also are options for some people if lifestyle changes aren't enough.
Outlook
Reaching and staying at a healthy weight is a long-term challenge for people who are overweight or obese. But it also is a chance to lower your risk for other serious health problems. With the right treatment and motivation, it's possible to lose weight and lower your long-term disease risk.
Adult Overweight and Obesity in the U.S.
More than two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese (Ogden et al., 2014). In general, rates of overweight and obesity are higher for African-American and Hispanic women than Caucasian women, higher for Hispanic men than Caucasian and African-American men, higher in the South and Midwest, and tend to increase with age (Ogden et al., 2014; Gregg et al., 2009; Sherry et al., 2010). Research also shows that the heaviest Americans have become even heavier the past decade (Beydoun & Wang, 2009).
Racial-Ethnic Disparities
Recent national data show that 82.0 percent of Black women and 77.2 percent of Hispanic women are overweight or obese compared to 63.2 percent of White women (Ogden et al., 2014). In addition, over half of Black women are obese (versus 37.1 percent of Black men and 32.8 percent of White women) (Ogden et al., 2014). Extreme obesity continues to be higher among women (8.3 percent) than men (4.4 percent), especially among Black women who have more than double the rates of extreme obesity as White and Hispanic women (16.4 percent versus 7.4 percent and 7.6 percent) (Ogden et al., 2014). Rates of overweight or obesity are higher for Hispanic men (78.6 percent) compared to Black men (69.2 percent) and White men (71.4 percent) (Ogden et al., 2014).
The table below highlights these and other selected data on adult overweight and obesity from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
Obesity and Overweight
Obesity and Weight Loss
What is new in obesity research?
Overweight and obesity
Obesity: Small Steps Help
What can be done about obesity?
Tackling the obesity epidemic
Morbid Obesity
Obesity
Overweight, Obesity and Cancer
Obesity hitting U.S. life expectancy
Middle-aged obesity
Causes of Obesity
Medical Reasons for Obesity
What Causes Obesity?
Obesity: what to do ?
Obesity: Who is to blame?
Obesity becomes the norm
Found - the obesity gene
Obesity gene identified in mice
Is obesity bad for you or not?
Causes of Obesity
Defining Overweight and Obesity
How serious is obesity and being overweight?
Bumper portions = obesity
What are other factors associated with obesity?
Puberty Gene May Be Linked to Obesity
Childhood obesity
Childhood obesity
Obesity in children
Rise of the overweight child
Kids and Weight Loss
Anti-obesity school programs
Teens Obesity & Risk of Heart Proble
Fighting obesity in your child
Childhood Obesity a National Crisis
Obesity Passed From Moms To Kids?
Feeling overweight? Blame your parents
Child obesity dragging down health gains
Anti-obesity med safe in teens
Obesity Raises Girls' Risk of Asthma
Kids at risk for obesity need early attention
Sweet drinks linked to preschool obesity
Obesity Predicts Childhood Leukemia Relapse
Childhood obesity leads to enlarged heart
Parents don't see obesity in their children
Risk Factors for Overweight Children